Hitting a baseball/softball may be one of the most difficult skills to master. There are many different opinions as to the best way to swing the bat to give hitters the best chance of making solid contact with a ball. Three of the most common approaches to swinging a bat at a pitched ball include: (1) hitting the ball with a downward bat path relative to the ground, which is thought to give the ball a backspin causing the ball to rise and travel a greater distance; (2) hitting the ball with a level swing, meaning that the bat is traveling parallel to the ground when the bat strikes the ball; and (3) hitting the ball with a slight uppercut, matching the bat's path to that of the pitched ball.
Traditionally, the most common method of practicing this skill is to have a coach watch, while a batter either (a) hits a ball off of a tee or other similar device; (b) hits a ball while someone slowly tosses it underhand to him (soft toss); or (c) hits live pitching from a coach or from balls thrown from a pitching machine. After the batter hits the ball, the coach offers advice on how the hatter can improve his swing.
These training methods, as well as others, have been preferred and there have been many attempts to make the practice easier, more fun, and more productive, without having to wear someone's arm out by throwing batting practice and/or spending time picking up balls after they have been hit.
Previous attempts to accomplish this include the use of a device that gives the hitter a guide to help him take his bat to the ball as it sits at various points in the strike zone. Some of these devices guide the hitter's bat to the ball on a path that is at a downward angle while others guide it parallel to the ground or at an upward angle.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,985,452 discloses two curved metal bars mounted parallel to the ground that a batter is to swing his bat through and U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,645 describes a pair of wheels rotatably mounted in a vertical plane.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,386,733 discloses two pliable rubber arms placed opposite of each other in a vertical position. In this device, the arms spread apart to allow a baseball to be placed between them, allowing the ball in space to be struck by a bat at any angle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,475,026 discloses a ball suspended in the air by two strings that are connected to a frame in such a way that when the ball is struck, the strings flex and bring the ball back to its original position. This is another device that holds a ball in space with no guide for the bat.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,464 describes a device to teach a swing that is parallel to the ground whereby the ball is mounted to a spring loaded track so when the ball is struck, it will return to its original position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,131 describes a device where a ball s mounted to two bars that are parallel to the ground, which tells the batter if his swing is parallel to the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,036 describes a device where the batter swings his bat parallee to the ground through two bars with tabs hanging off of them.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,771 describes two parallel bars mounted to a pole in front of the batter. In this device, the bars are parallel to the ground and the bat is to be swung between them forcing the batter to have his bat level as it crosses the plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,863 discloses a number of lasers mounted in a plate on the ground. These lasers measure the trajectory and speed of the bat as it is swung across the plate. This device is not easily operated by a typicalhitter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,452 discloses a device that has two wheels rotatably mounted in a vertical plane that would allow the batter to swing his bat through them. This arrangement gives the batter a target at which to aim his bat as well as a resistive force to drive his bat through but does not teach a bat path.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,375 discloses a device having a ball suspended from a stationary-arm on a flexible line without any guide for the bat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,267 discloses a batting tee and two poles that act as swing guides to tell the batter if his hands are remaining close to his body during his swing but does not incorporate the ball path as a guide. U.S. Pat. No. 8,556,753 describes a swing fide that attaches to a traditional tee. U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,852, describes a bat swing guide that includes an arcuate guide member, a horizontal guide, and a base, but fails to use the pitched ball path as a method for teaching.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,039 describes a pair of parallel bars mounted to a base. These bars allow a bat to pass between them. At the end opposite where the bat enters the bars, there is a ball holder similar to a tee with a guide for the bat to strike the ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,276 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,384 describe a batting tee with an arcuate guide attached to it to aid the batter in taking his bat to the ball and U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,545 discloses a batting tee that has guides showing the limits of the strike zone allowing the user to position the ball in the strike zone.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,070 describes a batting tee with spring loaded guides to help guide the bat to the ball. U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,880 describes a method for teaching the batter how to position himself in the batter's box. U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,413 describes a tee with a guide for the bat that teaches a downward swing to the ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,990 describes a pair of horizontal bars mounted to a base with a ball held at the end opposite where the bat enters. U.S. Pat. No. 6,579,195 describes a frame that is placed around the batter to help the hitter to start his swing correctly. U.S. Pat. No. 7,300,365 describes two boards on hinges with an opening between them to act as a target for the batter to aim at.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,662,052 describes a tee with a bat guide to the ball. On this tee, the ball is attached to a string so it does not need to be reloaded. U.S. Pat. No. 7,955,196 describes a frame that is placed around a traditional batting tee. The device holds two strings above the ball on the tee to give the hitter a visual cue as to the plane of his bat path. U.S. Pat. No. 8,088,027 describes a bat guide that is placed around the batter to help guide his bat during his swing.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,763 discloses a device that acts as a guide for the batter to swing his bat through. This is the only device that suggests an upward path for the swing to match that of a pitched ball. Although the thinking is the same as the present invention as far as how the bat should strike the ball, the device fails to give the path of the pitched ball as a guide for the hitter, and it is not easily moved to different positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,323 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,491 disclose a ball mounted on two strings that have an anchor at one end and handles on the other end. As the handles are pulled apart, the ball is propelled towards the anchored end. At the anchored end is a batter; when the ball comes towards him, simulating a pitch, he hits it with a bat, returning it back up the lines to the pitcher. While this may be a fun activity, it teaches more about timing the pitch than actually how to bring the hitter's bat to the ball.
The problem with the devices available until now is that they all deal with the striking of the ball as it sits in a specific spot in front of the batter. None of these methods give the batter and the coach the path of the ball as it would be seen in a live game situation. The only way to practice hitting a game-speed pitch is to use live pitching. The problem with live pitching is that it is in full speed, which prevents a coach or batter to work on the individual components of the swing, namely, the path of the bat vs. the path of the ball.
In order to become a good hitter, it is it imperative that the batter be able to develop good musclememory by executing a slow, accurate swing. The prior art that does provide a path to act as a guide for the hitter's bat gives the guide for the bat to the ball as it sits on a tee, with nothing to show the trajectory of the pitched ball. The trajectory of the incoming pitch is critical in determining whether or not the hitter's bat path is matched to the path of the incoming pitch.
Almost all of the prior art subscribes to the notion that it is best to swing down or parallel to the ground when trying to hit the ball, while others, like the traditional batting-tee, only suspend a ball in space and allow the batter to take his bat to the ball however he chooses, leaving the ball's trajectory to the batter's imagination.
Consequently, a need still exists for a solution to the aforementioned problems. The present disclosure describes a training aid that is inexpensive, lightweight, quick to set up, can easily be carried in a player's bag with his other gear, and offers a player and coach the ability to see the path of the pitched ball from the release point of the pitcher, all the way to the catcher for every possible pitch location. This, in turn, allows bath the coach and the batter the ability to see the relationship of the swinging bat to the pitched ball throughout the entire swing.